


Different Pages of the Same Name

by finkpishnets



Series: Different Pages of the Same Name [1]
Category: Bandom, The Like
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-11
Updated: 2010-07-11
Packaged: 2017-10-28 12:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/308081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/finkpishnets/pseuds/finkpishnets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High School AU. Annie won’t admit it aloud but she’s sort of ridiculously glad for the start of senior year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Different Pages of the Same Name

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Real Women Fest for extemporally’s prompt: Z Berg/Annie Monroe, high school & obliviousness.

Annie won’t admit it aloud but she’s sort of ridiculously glad for the start of senior year. Laena’s parents had taken her to Europe for the summer, and Annie had ended up alone and bored, with nothing to do except sit in her garden watching the world go by. It got to the stage that packing up her brand new notepads and catching the bus was enough to make her sigh in relief.

Laena meets her outside, leaning artfully against the wall and ignoring the looks she’s getting from every male in the vicinity.

“Hey babe,” she says, smiling, and Annie can’t help but hug her and never want to let go.

“Next time your parents decide it’s a good idea for you to go away for the entire summer tell them no. Or that they have to take me, too.”

“That bad, huh?” Laena says sympathetically, and manages to untangle herself from Annie’s arms just in time for the first bell.

“I never knew three months could go by so slowly. At one point I actually wondered whether I’d got stuck in a Groundhog Day scenerio.”

Laena rolls her eyes and links their arms as she steers them towards the doors. “I missed you, too.”

“You mean you didn’t meet some fashionable Parisian chick who’s millionaire dad wanted to make you a model and decide to replace me?” Annie says, and she’s only mostly joking.

“Yeah,” Laena says, “but then she told me she thought The Beatles were overrated and that was that.”

 

+

 

Annie has Mr. Rogers for American Lit again this year and she’s stupidly psyched about it; apparently they get to study Sylvia Plath and Douglas Coupland and a bunch of others Annie owns well-loved copies of instead of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Mark Twain like Ms. Matthews’ class, which Laena had bitched about for twenty minutes in home room when they got their schedules.

Annie chooses the same seat as last year, the one right next to the display on Dorothy Parker, and is running her finger lightly over her favorite quotes when someone sits down in front of her.

“Hi,” Z Berg says, twisting in her seat and staring at Annie with wide eyes. “How was your summer?”

“Um,” Annie says, because seriously, she’s pretty sure she and Z have never exchanged a single word before, and part of her really wants to turn around just to make sure Z’s not actually talking to someone else. “It was good.”

Z smiles, and then says, “Cool. Hey, you’re friends with Laena Geronimo, right?” and Annie feels herself relax some because, duh, of course Z wants to ask about Laena. Laena is popular and gorgeous and totally way too cool to be best friends with Annie but is anyway.

“Yeah,” Annie says, and then waits for Z to ask whatever it is she wants to ask, but Z just keeps smiling at her, like maybe she’s waiting for Annie to say something, and Annie’s really worried she’s about to start babbling about the weather or Gabe Saporta’s latest attempt at fashion which would just be embarrassing, when she’s saved by the arrival of Mr. Rogers, waving copies of The Bell Jar in the air and telling them all to listen up.

Z turns around, and Annie’s left staring at the back of her head wondering what that was all about.

 

+

 

“We’re going to a party,” Laena says at lunch, and Annie just rolls her eyes because it’s only the first day of school but of course people have already started handing Laena invites. Annie just ends up along for the ride.

“Whose?”

“Victoria Asher’s I think. I don’t know. Jon Walker mentioned it in Chem and then Alex Suarez gave me a post-it with an address on. Want to go to mine after school to get ready? You can tell your mom we’re studying.”

“Sure,” Annie says, because there’s no way Laena would let her get away with saying anything else.

 

+

 

They get to Victoria’s place at around ten, Laena looking like she’s a nineteen twenties pin-up and Annie feeling awkward in a borrowed dress and heels that are slightly too big. The party’s already in full swing by the time they push the door open, and it only takes about four minutes for Annie to lose Laena in the crowd.

She’s pretty much resigned herself to hiding in the kitchen for the rest of the night when someone taps her on the shoulder, and Annie almost loses her balance as she spins round.

“Hi,” Z says, and she’s looking beautiful in a very short blue dress. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

And, yeah, okay, so Annie’s never specifically invited to these things, but no one’s ever questioned her presence either, and it’s amazing how Z’s managed to make her feel uncomfortable and lost in under ten words.

“I’m here with Laena,” she says, and if she sounds as small as she feels it’s swallowed up by the sound of the music.

“Right,” Z says, and something indefinable flits across her face. “Of course you are.”

Annie’s not sure what else to say but she’s saved from worrying when Alex Greenwald appears, dragging Z away by the arm and Annie’s left alone again.

She finds the kitchen on her third try and then almost falls over a pair of legs.

“Sorry,” she says, and receives a disembodied, “S’okay,” back.

“Want to join me?” whoever it is asks, and Annie shrugs before remembering she can’t be seen and crawls ungracefully under the table.

Tennessee Thomas blinks at her from behind stylish, oversized glasses, and then smiles brightly when Annie settles in next to her. Tennessee is Z’s best friend, and she’s tall and quirky and plays in the drum line, and she might be dating Ryan Ross but that could just be a rumor.

“Hey!” Tennessee says brightly. “You’re Annie Monroe, right?”

“Um, yeah,” she says, and she’s not sure why Tennessee’s looking at her like Annie’s her new favorite person. “I am.”

“Awesome,” Tennessee says, and she sounds like she really means it. “Let’s get to know each other.”

 

+

 

Annie has a really great night with Tennessee talking about music and books and the people in their classes, and she loses track of time until Ryan appears, not remotely surprised that they’re under the table, and tells Tennessee that Jon’s waiting to take them home.

“Bye,” Tennessee says, and then she surprises Annie by pulling her into a quick hug. “See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Annie says, waving a little as they disappear.

The house is slowly emptying and Annie goes off in search of Laena; she’s going to have to crash at the Geronimo house tonight unless she wants to climb in through her bedroom window to avoid her parents questions, and she’s hoping that Laena hasn’t had anything to drink because Annie really hates driving her car.

Z’s sitting on the stairs when she walks past, head in hand, but she sits up straight when she sees Annie. She bites her lip, eyes searching Annie’s face, and seems to be thinking really hard about something.

“Your girlfriend’s making out with Adam Siska,” she says eventually.

“What?” Annie says, and Z’s looking at her with something like sympathy and something like defiance.

“Laena. She’s making out with Sisky. Sorry.”

“Right,” Annie says confused. It’s not that strange for Laena to be making out with someone at a party, and, okay, so she should maybe be a bit worried that the Butcher might get pissed, but Annie doesn’t understand how that’s her problem.

“I just,” Z says, and she looks uncomfortable. It doesn’t suit her. “I thought you should know.”

“Okay,” Annie says, “I guess that means I’ll just have to wait a bit for my ride. No big.”

Z’s eyebrows furrow, and Annie notices that instead of making her look funny like it does most people, it works against her dainty features.

“You’re not upset?” she says, and she sounds genuinely baffled.

“Why would I be? I’m crashing at Laena’s tonight so I don’t have to sneak in past curfew, and unless it really is true that Sisky’s hooking up with the Butcher then I don’t think it’s anyone’s business but Laena’s and Adam’s if they want to spend their evening making out.”

“But,” Z says, “I thought…”

“There you are!” Laena says, rounding the corner looking perfectly composed except for her flushed cheeks. “Ready to get out of here?”

“Sure,” Annie says, shrugging, and pretends she doesn’t notice the way Z’s looking back and forth between them.

“Bye Laena,” Sisky says as Mike Carden hauls him out the front door muttering under his breath about having to play designated driver.

“Yeah, okay,” Laena says, flipping her hair over her shoulder, and Annie isn’t sure whether to roll her eyes or be stupidly impressed with her best friend's ability to be as cool as a cucumber no matter the situation. “Come on A, let’s go fall asleep in front of a really bad movie.”

“You know,” Annie says, “some of us actually need our beauty sleep.”

Laena scoffs. “Yeah, right. Shut up.”

They’re almost out the door when Z speaks, her voice calm and quiet.

“Bye Annie,” she says, and then smiles, small and sweet and it’s like she’s an entirely different person from a few minutes ago.

“Bye,” Annie says, and lets herself be pulled away.

 

+

 

“Annie Monroe!” Tennessee says on Tuesday morning, swinging an arm around Annie’s shoulder and looking far too awake.

“Hey Tennessee,” Annie says, ducking her head and looking at her shoes.

“So,” Tennessee says, “you’re coming to Z’s birthday thing, right? An entire Saturday on the beach burying Ryan in sand every time he falls asleep. Perfection.”

“No,” Annie says, extending the word, and Tennessee looks surprised.

“What? Why? Didn’t Z ask you about it yet? She keeps bringing you up when she’s talking about the guest list. Or, oh, can you just not make it?”

“Z hasn’t mentioned anything about it,” Annie says, and it’s the truth. She misses out the part where she doesn’t know why Z would.

Tennessee’s face flickers from confused to suspicious to completely innocent before she speaks again.

“Hey, so I don’t suppose Z’s asked you to do anything else at all has she? Like a movie? Or ice cream?”

“Um,” Annie says, because seriously, if her entire senior year is going to be this weird and it’s only the second day? Yeah, she takes back the whole being happy about it thing.

“Yeah, okay,” Tennessee says, and then mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like that girl! under her breath. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye,” Annie says, but Tennessee’s already marching down the hallway looking decidedly like a woman on a mission.

 

+

 

Annie’s running late for lunch having spent too long speaking to Mr. Rogers about the school paper, and when she finally gets to their usual table, apologies on the tip of her tongue, Laena’s not even there.

Z Berg is though.

“Hey,” she says, and then wonders whether she should still sit down. She and Laena have eaten at the same table since freshman year, but it’s kind of petty of her to think of a table as hers.

“So, here’s the thing,” Z says by way of greeting. “I thought you were dating Laena.”

“I’m not,” Annie says, and then “What?” when it registers.

“I know that now,” Z replies, “but I thought you were and that’s why I didn’t say anything before. Tennessee thinks I’m an idiot by the way, but then she voluntarily holds hands with Ryan in public so she doesn’t really have room to talk.”

Annie blinks. “Okay.”

“I like you,” Z says, and her eyes are impossibly wide and pretty. “I’ve liked you since the beginning of junior year, but you and Laena were always so you-and-Laena and I thought that meant I didn’t have a chance.”

“Oh,” Annie says. “Oh.”

Z’s watching her earnestly, waiting for her reaction, and Annie’s never had this sort of power before, never explicitly known that what she does next could have such a big impact on someone else.

“Okay,” she says, smiling, and finally sits down next to Z on the bench.

“Okay,” Z repeats, and she’s grinning super wide, and she looks ridiculously pretty. “Do you maybe want to come to the beach with us for my birthday?”

“Yes please,” Annie says, and her face feels like it might split in two she’s smiling so hard.

“Do you maybe want to hold my hand on the way to class?” Z asks when the bell rings, and Annie feels like the two of them are trapped in some wonderful inside joke that keeps the rest of the world at bay.

“I don’t know,” Annie says. “I mean, aren’t you worried people might doubt your judgement?”

“No,” Z says, sliding her fingers between Annie’s and it’s sort of absurdly perfect. “I think they’re all going to be really, really jealous.”


End file.
